Wednesday, December 31, 2008

0404] Curtains: The last gladiator competition is held in Rome and taped for later use as a NBC-TV special (1/1)...1966] The final episode of "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" is filmed (1/1)...1995] The last "Far Side" cartoon runs. Started in 1980 by Gary Larson, 'Far Side' books and calendars continue to be best sellers (1/1)...

1863] Mine eyes have seen the glory: Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation declaring that slaves in rebel states are free (1/1)...

1892] Debuted on this date: The Ellis Island Immigrant Station opens in New York Harbor (1/1)...1902] The first 'Tournament of Roses', later renamed the 'Rose Bowl' collegiate football game is played in Pasadena (CA) (1/1)...1935] Charles Darrow patents the game of Monopoly (12/31)...

1898] I'll take Manhattan: Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island are consolidated into New York City (1/1)...

1943] Old Blue Eyes takes Manhattan: Times Square greets Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater. His career explodes after this appearance (12/31)....

1953] 'Happy Trails': Legendary Country singer Hank Williams is found dead in his car, a victim of a drug and alcohol overdose at 29 (1/1)...1972] Future Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente is killed on a mercy mission when the cargo plane he had chartered goes down in the Caribbean. Clemente, 38, was en route to helping victims of a Nicaraguan earthquake (12/31)...1985] Teen Idol Rick Nelson dies in a plane crash on his way to a New Year's Eve concert in Dallas (12/31). Rick was one of the nicest people I had the pleasure of knowing...1997] Michael Kennedy, 39-year old son of the late Robert Kennedy is killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain (12/31)...1999] Sarah Knauss, the world's oldest person (119) dies of natural causes (12/31). Sarah was born in 1880...

1959] Castro takes control: Fidel Castro overthrows the government of Fulgencio Batista and seizes power in Cuba (1/1)...

1967] Equal but separate: The FCC starts requiring AM/FM combo stations to be at least 50 percent separate in programming (1/1). Lots of great stations will be born, including WRKO (in March)...

1990] This I Swear: David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor (1/1)...

2007] Dig it: Boston's 'Big Dig' construction project ends. It'll be great once it's finished (12/31)...For more on December 31 - January 1:

Monday, December 29, 2008

1851] "Why-Em-Cee-A": The first YMCA is organized in Boston. The Village People kvell...

1890] Massacre Monday: The U.S. Seventh Cavalry massacres over 400 men, women and children at Wounded Knee Creek (SD). This is the last major conflict between Indians and U.S. troops...

1934] Double dip: The first college basketball doubleheader is played at Madison Square Garden. The Garden was rented for a measly $4 thousand as 16,000 fans watch NYU defeat Notre Dame and Westminster (PA) beat St. John's...

1975] Blasting Off: Terrorists explode a bomb in the main terminal of LaGuardia Airport killing 11 and injuring 75 (this is believed to be an act by a Croatian terrorist group that was never captured)...

1975] "D-I-V-O-R-C-E": Grace Slick and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane/Starship, who were together since 1969, are divorced...

1978] Berserk Buckeye: Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes goes berserk during the Gator Bowl game punching Clemson's Charlie Bauman for his interception of a Buckeye pass. Woody will not like what happens to him the following day...

1980] "Happy Trails": Singer/songwriter Tim Hardin overdoses on heroin at 40...2007] A suicide gunman shoots former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, killing her and then blows himself up killing at least 22 others at an election rally in Pakistan...

1989] Curtains: Jane Pauley leaves the "Today Show"...

2007] Record breaking: The New England Patriots are the first team in NFL history to ever finish the regular season with a record of 16-0, the first perfect regular season in the league since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Tom Brady sets the NFL record for Most Touchdown Passes in a season with 50 and Randy Moss sets the NFL record for the Most Touchdown Receptions in a season with 23...For more on December 29th: C L I C K:

1946] "Happy Trails": W.C. Fields dies at 66 from a stomach hemorrhage (12/25). Contrary to popular belief, his headstone makes no reference to Philadelphia. It simply has his name and dates of birth and death...1972] Harry S. Truman, our 33rd president dies in Kansas City from lung congestion caused by pneumonia at 88 (12/26)...1974] Jack Benny passes away from pancreatic cancer at 80 (12/26)...1977] Charles Chaplin dies in his sleep at 88 (12/25)...1983] Dennis Wilson, the only real surfer in the Beach Boys, drowns while swimming near his boat at Marina del Rey (CA) (12/28). Dennis was 39...1989] Former Yankees manager Billy Martin is killed in a pickup truck crash in Fenton (NY) at 61 (12/25)...1995] Curtis Mayfield dies at 57 from diabetes after being paralyzed when a light stand fell on him some years earlier (12/26)...1995] Dean Martin dies from respiratory failure at 78 (12/25)...1996] 6-year old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder (CO) (12/26)...2006] Former President Gerald R. Ford dies from arteriosclerosis at 93 (12/26)...2007] A suicide gunman shoots former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, killing her. He then blows himself up, killing at least 22 others (12/27)...

1947] Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow: A major snowstorm dumps 25.8" of snow on New York City in 16 hours. 80 die in the northeast as a result of the storm (12/26)...

1956] Curtains: After 5 years on TV, the final "Ding Dong School" hosted by Miss Francis (Horwich) airs on NBC-TV (12/28)...1968] "The Breakfast Club" with Don McNeill signs off for the last time on ABC Radio after a run of 35 years (12/27)...1992] Legendary New York City play-by-play man, Marty Glickman retires at 75 (12/26)...

1958] Frozen in sports history: The Baltimore Colts beat the Giants 23-17 at 8:15 into overtime on a frozen Yankee Stadium field to win the NFL Championship in a thriller (12/28). Many call this the greatest NFL game of all-time...

1982] Computer games: A computer is the Time Magazine Man of The Year. It's the first time a non-human receives the honors (12/26)...

1993] Wedding Bells and respect: Rodney Dangerfield finally gets some respect and a wife. At 72 he marries Joan Child, 41 (12/26). The marriage will last until Rodney's death in 2004...

2001] Talibanned: U.S. officials announce that Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners will be held at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay (12/27)...

2004] Deadly storm: A tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean leaves more than 216,000 dead or missing in Southeastern Asia (12/26)...

2007] Hold that tiger: In the San Francisco Zoo, a tiger escapes from its enclosure and attacks three visitors, killing one of the men and mauling two others (12/25)...For more on December 25 - 28: C L I C K:

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

1812] War is over: The War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain ends with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium...

1818] Shhhhhh: "Silent Night", written by Josef Mohr with music by Franz Gruber of Germany is composed...

1865] It should have stayed private: Several veterans of the Confederate Army form a private social club in Pulaski (TN) called the Ku Klux Klan...

1906] The first disc jockey: No, it wasn't Bruce Morrow. It was Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden who becomes the 1st person to broadcast a music program over the radio from Brant Rock (MA)...

1920] Curtains: The great Enrico Caruso gives his final public performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He would continue to offer himself for weddings and bar mitzvahs however...

1948] Debuted on this date: A Midnight Mass is broadcast on TV for the first time from St. Patrick's Cathedral...1953] NBC-TVs "Dragnet" becomes the first network show to be sponsored (by Fatima cigarettes)...

1954] "Happy Trails": R&B singer Johnny Ace shoots himself fatally while playing Russian Roulette backstage at a concert in Houston. Ace of "Pledging My Love" fame was just 25...

1968] "Twas the night before Christmas": The Apollo 8 astronauts orbiting the moon read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis during a Christmas Eve TV broadcast...

1981] Wedding Bells: Guardian Angel mahof Curtis Sliwa and Lisa Evers walk down the aisle in their red berets. They would break up in 1993. Curtis is on the radio, Lisa on TV now...1990] Nicole Kidman succumbs to the many "charms" of Tom Cruise as they tie the knot. The marriage made in Scientology heaven ends in 2001...

1997] Guilty as Charged: Ilich Ramirez Sanchez a.k.a. Carlos the Jackal is sentenced to life for the 1975 murders of 2 French investigators and a Lebanese national. He's now serving a lifetime sentence...For more on December 24th: C L I C K:

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

1823] Debuted on this date: The poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" ('Twas the night before Christmas') by Clement C. Moore is published in the Troy (NY) Sentinel...1942] Bob Hope does his first Christmas show to entertain U.S. airmen in Alaska. A Christmas tradition is born...

1834] TAXiiiiiiiii: English architect Joseph Hansom patents his "safety cab" a.k.a. the horse-drawn 'Hansom Cab', still clippety, cloppin' in Central Park for the price of a king's ransom...

1888] Can you ear me now?: Following a quarrel with Paul Gauguin, Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh cuts off part of his own earlobe. My question is a simple one: Why didn't he cut off Gauguin's ear???

1959] Busted: Chuck Berry is arrested for "transporting a minor across a state line for an immoral purpose"...

1968] Released on this date: 82 crew members of the U.S. intelligence gathering ship, Pueblo, are released by North Korea after being captured 11 months earlier...

1972] Immaculate reception: That's what they called the catch made by the Steelers Franco Harris on a last-second play that won a playoff game for Pittsburgh over Oakland, 13-7...

1997] Guilty as charged: A jury in Denver convicts Terry Nichols for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing. Nichols is serving a lifetime term without parole...2004] Former Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland pleads guilty to a corruption charge. He later serves a year and a day...

2003] I beg your pardon: New York Governor George Pataki pardons the late comedian Lenny Bruce for his 1964 obscenity conviction...

2003] Holy Cow: The U.S. government announces the first suspected case of mad cow disease in the U.S. It is later confirmed...For more on December 23rd: C L I C K:

Monday, December 22, 2008

1864] Merry Christmas: During the Civil War, Union General William T. Sherman sends a message to President Abraham Lincoln from Georgia, saying "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah"...

1882] Lighting by Edison: The first string of Christmas tree lights is created by Thomas Edison...

1937] It will really be great when it's finished: The Lincoln Tunnel, connecting Manhattan and New Jersey opens to traffic...

1968] Wedding Bells: Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower exchange wedding vows...2000] Madonna is no longer a virgin when she and Brit movie director Guy Richie bed, uh wed. You know the rest of the story...

1976] Curtains: The last "Let's Make A Deal" airs. Several attempts since weren't successful until Drew Carey took over as host last year...

1984] Subway vigilante: New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shoots 4 youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about the rob him. Much to popular belief, the youths armed with screw drivers did not wish the "subway vigilante" Merry Christmas when he went berserk screaming "I'm a Chanukah boy, I'm a Chanukah boy. Take that"...

1995] "Happy Trails": Lawrence Berk, founder of Berklee College of Music dies of natural causes at 87 in Boston...2002] Joe Strummer, lead singer of The Clash dies suddenly of a congenital heart defect at 50...

2001] Hot foot: Richard C. Reid, a passenger of an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tries to ignite explosives in his shoes, but is subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers who point to the flashing "no smoking" sign...

2005] Strikeout: New York transit workers end their three-day strike without a new contract. The union head who forced the strike is fired...For more on December 22nd: C L I C K:

Friday, December 19, 2008

1620] The Pilgrims are coming, the Pilgrims are coming: The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower go ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth (12/21)...

1880] Premiered on this date: Broadway officially becomes "The Great White Way" when the lights go on for the first time (12/20)...1946] Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" starring James Stewart and Donna Reed is previewed for charity at the Globe Theatre in Times Square (12/20). The next day is the official world premiere. The movie won't become a hit until it reaches TV...1967] "The Graduate" starring Anne Bancroft and introducing Dustin Hoffman premieres (12/20)...1981] "Dream Girls" opens at the Imperial Theater on Broadway (12/20) and 25 years later (2006) the movie opens...

1945] "Happy Trails": General George S. Patton dies in Germany from injuries suffered in a car accident. Patton was 60 (12/21)...1973] Bobby Darin passes away following surgery to repair a faulty heart valve. Darin was just 37 (12/20)...1996] Astronomer Carl Sagan goes to a galaxy, billions and billions of light years away at 62. Sagan suffered from a rare bone marrow disease (12/20)...1999] Legendary Country Music star Hank Snow dies from natural causes at 85 (12/20)...2000] Former New York City Mayor John Lindsay dies from Parkinson's disease and pneumonia at 79 (12/19)...2005] Mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante dies in a Springfield (MO) federal prison at 77 (12/19)...

1970] Elvis the drug czar: Richard M. Nixon has a meeting in the Oval Office about fighting drugs with Elvis Presley, who will die from an overdose of drugs (12/21)...

1978] Guilty as charged: Police in Des Plaines (IL) arrest John Wayne GacyJr. and begin unearthing the remains of 33 men and boys that Gacy will be convicted of murdering (12/21). Gacy is executed by lethal injection in May, 1994...1996] After two years of denials, House Speaker Newt Gingrich admits violating House ethic rules (12/21). He is soon replaced as House Speaker...

1980] Silent Night: No announcers are allowed in a Don Ohlmeyer experiment during the Jets-Dolphins game on NBC-TV, won by the Jets 24-17 (12/20). I remember how refreshing it was and they kept the parabolic crowd mics open so you felt like you were at the game. It's time for this experiment to return...

1988] Terrorism in the sky: 270 are killed when a Pan Am Boeing 747 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland. A terrorist attack is responsible for one of the worst air tragedies ever (12/21)...

1990] Bo knows: Bo Jackson becomes the first athlete to be chosen for All-Star games in both baseball and football when he's selected to the NFL Pro Bowl (12/19). Had he not gotten hurt he would of been one of the all-time greats in both sports...

2002] This is justice?: Citing new DNA evidence, a judge throws out the convictions of 5 young men for the 1989 attack on the 'Central Park Jogger' who was raped and left for dead (12/19). Miraculously she survives...For more on December 19: C L I C K:

Thursday, December 18, 2008

1865] Set me free why don't you babe: Slavery is abolished in the United States when the 13th Amendment is declared in effect...

1892] Premiered on this date: Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" publicly premieres in St. Petersburg, Russia...

1956] Debuted on this date: "To Tell The Truth" on CBS-TV. The first edition of the classic game show runs until 1968 when it goes into syndication from '69 to '78 and then off and on through 2002...1966] Dr. Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", a special on CBS-TV...

1969] 'Nay' on capital punishment: Britain's Parliament abolishes the death penalty, something New Jersey did one year ago...

1975] "D-I-V-O-R-C-E":Rod Stewart and Faces divorce when Rod goes solo. They have since reunited from time-to-time...

1980] "Happy Trails": Former Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosygin dies from a heart attack at 76...1997] SNL comedian Chris Farley becomes the shows' latest tragedy when he overdoses on morphine and cocaine in Chicago at 33...

1987] Guilty as charged: Ivan F. Boesky is sentenced to 3 years in prison for insider trading...2003] Michael Jackson is charged with 7 counts of molesting a child under 14 and two counts of supplying the child with "an intoxicating agent" a.k.a. 'Jesus Juice'...2003] A judge in Seattle sentences confessed 'Green River' killer, Gary Ridgeway, to 48 consecutive life terms, one each for every murder he allegedly committed and confessed to...

1999] Out of her tree: Environmental activist Julia "Butterfly" Hill comes down after spending two years living atop an ancient redwood in Humboldt County (CA) to protest logging...

2006] Rumsfeld 'resigns': Donald Rumsfeld spends his last day in office as Secretary of Defense. Robert Gates is nominated by George W. Bush as his replacement. Gates will keep his job in the new Obama administration...For more on December 18th: C L I C K:

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

1903] The Wright Stuff: Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first successful flight in history at 10:35 a.m. at Kitty Hawk (NC). The biplane stays airborne for 12 seconds and covers 120 feet on its maiden flight...

1959] Blasted beach: "On The Beach" which shows life after a nuclear holocaust, premieres in New York City and becomes the first movie to debut simultaneously in major cities worldwide, 18 cities in all, including Moscow...

1964] How about that?: Just six weeks after CBS buys controlling interest in the New York Yankees, the 'Voice of the Yankees', Mel Allen is fired. Allen was play-by-play man since 1940...

1969] UF what?: The U.S. Air Force closes its 'Project: Blue Book' by concluding there's no evidence of UFOs, as a mysterious flying disc hovers overhead...

1969] TV History: Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki (Budinger) are married on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson". An estimated 50 million viewers see the couple tip toe through the tulips...

1975] Beware of people named 'Squeaky': Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme is sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald R. Ford...

1976] Super!: WTCG-TV in Atlanta becomes WTBS, uplinking with a satellite to become the first TV Super Station, blanketing the United States...

1989] "D'oh!" Debut: "The Simpsons" debuts in its own time slot on Sunday nights (Fox). The animated classic was first introduced on "The Tracey Ullman Show" on April 19, 1987...

1994] Wedding Bells: Richie Sambora and Heather Locklear rock down the aisle (to Bon Jovi music, of course). Heather files for divorce in February of 2006...

2006] 'Happy Trails': Former major league pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers) Larry Sherry, dies after a long battle with cancer, at 71...For more on December 17th: C L I C K:

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

1773] Tea it up: The Boston Tea Party takes place as American colonists board a British ship and dump more than 300 chests of tea in Boston Harbor to protest tea taxes. This might explain why the water in Boston Harbor is described as "orange pekoe with specks of green tea and chamomile" in color...

1905] Published on this date: Variety Magazine hits the newsstands to 'Boffo'! reviews...

1960] Staten Island Supercrash: A United Air Lines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collide over Staten Island, killing 134...

1972] Unbeaten and Untied: The Miami Dolphins become the 1st NFL team to go unbeaten and untied in a 14-game regular season. The 2007 Patriots beat that record, going 18-0. Miami's season streak reaches 17 after they win the Super Bowl...

1973] Slice and dice: Buffalo's O.J. Simpson knifes his way through the NFL to become the 1st runner in history to gain over 2,000 yards in a season when he runs for 200 yards against the Jets. Jet coach Weeb Ewbank loses his lunch and then announces his retirement...

1982] Reborn: Tom Seaver becomes a Met again after a trade with Cincinnati...1983] Yogi Berra is named Yankee manager for the second time...

1985] The steak was cold, too: Organized crime chief Paul Castellano is gunned down outside Sparks Steakhouse on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan as he's set up by the mob...

1998] Desert Fox: The U.S. and Britain begin a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets, in response to Iraq's continued failure to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions as well as their interference with U.N. Special Commission inspectors...

2000] Breaking the color barrier: President-elect George W. Bush selects Colin Powell to be the 1st African-American secretary of state...For more on December 16th: C L I C K:

Monday, December 15, 2008

1791] Right on: The Bill of Rights, the 1st 10 amendments to the U.S. constitution, takes effect following ratification by Virginia (the state)...

1890] "Happy Trails": Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members are killed by the Native American police in Grand River (SD). Sitting Bull was 59...1944] Bandleader Glenn Miller, 40, disappears over the English Channel in a thick fog. Miller was in a U.S. Army plane...1966] Walt Disney dies from cardiac arrest at 65. Contrary to popular belief, Disney's body was not frozen...2001] Ledendary R&B singer and disc jockey Rufus Thomas passes away from a heart attack at 84...

1939] Premiered on this date: "Gone With The Wind", starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh has its world premiere at Loew's Grand Theater in Atlanta...

1961] Guilty as charged: Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death by an Israeli court. Eichman is hanged in 1962...1988] James Brown is sentenced to a 6-year jail term for leading police on a late-night chase. He will be released on February 27, 1991...

1982] Curtains: Paul "Bear" Bryant announces his retirement as coach of the University of Alabama football team. Bryant was the winningest college football coach in history at the time. The Bear will suffer a fatal heart attack at 69, one month later...1993] John Williams conducts the Boston Pops for the final time...

1982] Signed, sealed, delivered: Bill Parcells becomes the Giants 12th head coach and press conferences will never be the same...

1985] Wedding Bells: Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nelson shadow box down the aisle. This marriage ends in a KO in the 18th month...1990] Rod Stewart asks Rachel Hunter, do ya think I'm sexy? Apparently she does. She marries him. Not believing in quickie divorces, the couple's divorce becomes official in November of 2006...2004] Sprint and Nextel tie the $35 billion knot...

2003] Proof is in the DNA pudding: The late Senator Strom Thurmond's family acknowledges Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter...

2005] Election Day: Millions of Iraqis turn out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election...

2007] HGH to the rescue: Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte admits using human growth hormone to recover from an elbow injury, two days after the release of the Mitchell Report. People become suspicious when they see Pettitte with two left elbows...For more on December 15th: C L I C K:

1896] The roots of Radio: Guglielmo Marconi gives the public the first demonstration of radio at London's Toynbee Hall. The following year he establishes the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company Ltd. in Chelmsford, England (12/12)...

1915] Debuted on this date: Francis Albert Sinatra is born in Hoboken (NJ) which would have made 'Old Blue Eyes' 93 today (12/12)...1925] The first motel, the "Motel Inn" opens in San Luis Obispo (CA) (12/12)...1946] Tide detergent is introduced (12/12)...1955] The Tappan Zee Bridge opens to traffic (12/14)...1977] "Saturday Night Fever" starring John Travolta has its world premiere (12/14)...

1930] Ground rule double: Baseball changes the rule on balls bouncing into the stands in fair territory, from a home run to a double. One rule not changed is a ball hitting the head of an outfielder and going into the stands in fair territory. That's still a home run. Ask Jose Canseco (12/12)...

1975] Guilty as charged: Sara Jane Moore pleads guilty to an assassination attempt on the life of President Gerald R. Ford (12/12)...1989] Leona ("Queen of Mean") Helmsley is fined $7 million and sentenced to 4 years in prison for tax evasion (12/12)...2004] A jury in Redwood (CA) recommends the death penalty for Scott Peterson for the murders of his wife and unborn child (12/13). Peterson remains on death row at San Quentin...

1982] John Deere to the rescue: Mark Henderson uses a John Deere tractor to clear a spot in the snow for John Smith's 33-yard field goal, giving the Patriots a 3-0 win over the Miami Dolphins at Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough. This game became known as the "Snow Plow Game" (12/12)...

2000] Dubya wins: George W. Bush claims the presidency 36 days after Election Day when Al Gore concedes defeat (12/13)...

2003] Gotcha: Saddam Hussein is found hiding in a hole (12/13)...

2007] A bad report card: The Mitchell Report lists the names of 89 major league baseball players that presumably used anabolic steroids and human growth hormons. The biggest names mentioned are Roger Clemens and Miguel Tejada (12/13)...For more on December 12 - 14: Click:

Thursday, December 11, 2008

1936] Wedding Bells: Britain's King Edward VIII abdicates the throne in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson. Now, that's love...1957] Jerry Lee Lewis secretly marries his 13-year old, third-cousin Myra Gale Brown. It's 'The Killer's' third marriage, the first for Myra Gale...1985] GE agrees to buy RCA for $6.3 billion. Included in the deal is NBC Radio & TV, some old RCA mics, transmitter tubes and Don Pardo's first contract, written on parchment...

1946] A useful UN organization: UNICEF (UN International Children's Fund) is established to provide relief to children in countries devastated by war...

1951] Yankee Clipper docks: Joe DiMaggio retires after a 13-year career with the Yankees. DiMag is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. His last year marked the career start of another HOFer, Mickey Mantle (who played right field and wore #6 before switching to #7)...

1964] "Happy Trails": Sam Cooke is fatally shot at the Hacienda Motel in LA under mysterious circumstances. The legendary singer would have been 34 in one month...2006] The oldest (authenticated) woman in the world, Elizabeth Borden, dies at 116. No reason was given for her death but without her vices she would have lived a longer life...

1975] A steal of a deal: In two separate trades the Yankees pick up: Willie Randolph, Mickey Rivers and Ed Fiqueroa in exchange for bupkes...

1981] Curtains: Muhammad Ali fights his last fight, losing to Trevor Berbick. Ali retires with a 56-5 record with 37 KO's...

1982] Battle of the Behemoths: Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing put on a show as Sampson leads Virginia to a 68-63 victory over Georgetown. Sampson knocks down 23 with 16 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Ewing's stats: 16, 8 and 5. Sampson is drafted #1 by Houston in 1983, Ewing #1 with that famous and controversial lottery pick by the Knicks in 1985...

1991] Questionable Acquittal: A West Palm Beach jury acquits William Kennedy Smith of sexual assault and battery, rejecting the allegations of Patricia Bowman...

2000] Pay-Rod: Alex Rodriguez agrees (who wouldn't) to a $252 million deal with Texas (still paying a chunk of that money). It's the most lucrative sports contract in history. About a year ago, he signed a 10-year deal for about $315 million with the Yankees. He still hasn't been on a team that wins the World Series...For more on December 11th: C L I C K:

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

1896] His honor: Swedish chemist Alfred Bernhard Nobel, who invented dynamite, dies in Italy. The Nobel Prize was instituted in his honor...

1939] Hitting the million mark: The NFL's attendance exceeds 1 million in a season for the first time...

1953] Published on this date: Hugh Hefner publishes the first Playboy (featuring a photo of Marilyn Monroe) with an initial investment of $7,600...

1958] The first commercial jet: 111 passengers fly from New York to Miami on a National Airlines Boeing 707...

1962] Cover boy: Frank Gifford of the New York Giants is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated...

1967] "Happy Trails": 26-year old Otis Redding is killed along with most of the Bar-Kays in a small plane crash in Wisconsin...1996] Country music star Faron Young dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 64...1999] Rick Danko of The Band dies in his sleep at 56...2005] Richard Pryor dies from cardiac arrest at 65...2005] Former Senator Eugene McCarthy passes away from natural causes at 89...

1971] Worst baseball trade: That's what Joseph (N.Y.Times) Durso calls it. The Mets send Nolan Ryan to the Angels for Jim Fregosi. Ryan pitches his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame with 7 no-hitters and the strikeout record while Fregosi hits .232 in his brief career with Mets...

1983] Jetting away: The Steelers beat the Jets 34-7 in the last NFL game played at Shea Stadium. The final baseball game was played by the Mets at the end of the 2008 season. The Mets will open the 2009 season at Citi Field...

1991] The end of a radio era: WNEW-AM signs off at 1130 on the dial, becoming Bloomberg business radio WBBR. Knowing this is coming, WQXR earlier adapts a similar WNEW style format as WQEW on December 2, 1991...

1998] Up, Up and Away: Six astronauts open the doors to the new international space station 250 miles above the Earth's surface...For more on December 10th: C L I C K:

1975] Drop Dead New York: President Gerald Ford signs a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent New York City from defaulting despite his "Drop Dead" message to New York...

1977] Face-off: The Lakers Kermit Washington punches Rudy Tomjanovich in the face during a game. Tomjanovich would need facial reconstruction and collects $2 million from the Lakers in a settlement. Washington is fined $10,000 and suspended for 60 days...

Monday, December 8, 2008

1776] What did Delaware?: General George Washington crosses the Delaware River with retreating American Revolutionary Army troops, from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, apparently in only one boat...

1863] Reconstruction: President Abraham Lincoln announces plans for Reconstruction of the South...

1940] Scalped: The Chicago Bears annihilate the Washington Redskins 73-0. It's not only the biggest one-sided score in NFL history but the Bears were forced by officials to run for their final extra point because there was only one football left...

1941] U.S. enters WWII: The U.S. enters World War II as Congress declares war against Japan one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor...

1952] TV history is made: For the first time a pregnancy is used on TV's "I Love Lucy"...

Friday, December 5, 2008

1908] Numb3rs: The University of Pittsburgh Panthers are the first college football team to put numbers on their jerseys (12/5). When I was program director at KQV, I could see the Pittsburgh U. tower through my apartment window. The school is located in a section called Oakland...

1923] On the Radio: Calvin Coolidge becomes the first president to deliver a radio address. Cal addressed a joint session of Congress (12/6)...

1941] The Day of Infamy: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, putting us into WWII. Some 2,400 Americans are killed, 200 wounded. Much of our Pacific Fleet is destroyed along with more than 200 planes. FDR calls it "a day of infamy" (12/7)...

1991] Bad timing: Richard Speck who murdered 8 student nurses in Chicago in 1966, dies from a heart attack in prison at 50 (12/5). Why couldn't this have happened in 1965???

1993] The 5:33 from Hell: Colin Ferguson murders 6 and injures 19 others on the 5:33 p.m. Hicksville local of the LIRR. Ferguson is currently drawing on his Attica jail cell wall with crayons, something he will continue to do for the next 200 years (12/7)...

1996] Greenspanning and spinning: Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan sends everyone scratching their heads after his famous "irriational exuberance" speech about the stock market and whether or not it was overvalued (12/5). Greenspan turns out to be overvalued...

2002] Sticky fingers: Actress Winona Ryder is sentenced to community service for stealing more than $5,500 worth of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills (12/6)...

2006] Trans fixed: New York becomes the first city in the nation to ban artery clogging trans fats at restaurants (12/5)...For more on December 5 -7: C L I C K:

Thursday, December 4, 2008

1783] Say goodnight Gracie: General George Washington bids farewell to his officers by raising a tankard or two at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan. The tavern is still there and open for business...

1978] Her Mayoress: Diane Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first woman mayor when she's named to replace George Moscone who was murdered...

1980] Guardsmen from hell: The bodies of four American nuns slain in El Salvador just days before, are found. Five national guardsmen are later convicted of murder...

1987] D-I-V-O-R-C-E eventually: Madonna files for divorce from Sean Penn but changes her mind. She files for good in January, 1988, ending their love-hate marriage. These two sat in front of me at a movie. They were ushered in when the theater went dark. Madonna was wearing Sean all night. I was tempted to whisper "get a room"...

1990] We are here to pump...you up: Due to the Persian Gulf crisis, gas prices sky-rocket to: $1.60 a gallon in New York City. Outrageous!!!

1991] Please release me: AP correspondent Terry Anderson is released as a hostage in Lebanon after nearly 7 years in captivity...

1993] "Happy Trails": Frank Zappa dies at 52 from prostate cancer. Frank was a nice guy who would often ask for imports from my office at CBS International. He was very knowledgeable and loved all kinds of music...

1949] Lucky and good: Notre Dame stretches its unbeaten streak to 4 seasons and 38 games by beating the Kyle Rote SMU Mustangs 27-20. The Irish win their 7th national title...

1961] How do you do: The Beatles meet Brian Epstein for the first time in his record shop in Liverpool...

1967] Have a heart: Dr. Christian Barnard performs the first human heart transplant. Patient Louis Washkansky lives for 18 days with his new heart...

1967] Curtains: The famed 20th Century Limited luxury train, completes its final run from New York City to Chicago...

1968] How low can you go?: The major league pitching mound is lowered from 15 inches to 10 to get more offense in the game. It works...

1979] Concert catastrophe: 11 fans are crushed to death at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum before a concert by The Who. Laws will change to prevent "first-come, first-served" seating in the future...

1994] "Happy Trails": AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser, wife of actor Paul Michael Glaser, dies at 47 after she and her two children were infected after a blood transfusion. Daughter Ariel will also succumb to the disease but son Jake survives...

2002] You can run but you can't hide: Thousands of files show that the Archdiocese of Boston protected clergy after sex and drug charges are released...

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

1927] Debuted on this date: Ford rolls out their Model A, the successor to the Model T. It sold for $385...1969] Boeing shows off its 747 jumbo jet for the media...

1956] Next stop Boston: San Francisco University's Bill Russell stars as the USA picks up a gold medal in basketball with an 89-55 trouncing of Russia at the Melbourne (Australia) Olympics (and we all know where he will star next)...

1961] I'm your leader: Fidel Castro declares himself a Marxist-Leninist who will lead Cuba to Communism. He will also lead them to ruin...

Monday, December 1, 2008

1824] Flip a coin: With no candidate receiving a majority of the vote in the Electoral College, the House of Representatives decides that John Quincy Adams is chosen over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay...

1914] First in service: The first service station opens in Pittsburgh...

1917] Boy's Town: Father Edward Flanagan opens "Boy's Town" in Nebraska, a farm village designed for wayward boys. In 1979 it became co-ed. The Hollies' hit "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" was written as a tribute to Boys Town...

1924] Hockey, eh?: The 1st pro hockey game in the U.S. is played at the Boston Arena with the Bruins beating the Montreal Maroons (not Morons) 2-1. Both teams had just joined the 7-year old NHL. Boston became the 1st U.S. team...

1955] No more 'back of the bus': Rosa Parks refuses to give her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (AL), marking a milestone in the civil rights movement...

1969] There's a draft in here: Charles Rangel will be happy to note that the U.S. government held its 1st draft lottery since WWII...

1973] "Happy Trails": David Ben-Gurion, founding father of Israel and its first prime minister dies from natural causes at 87...

1992] Guilty as charged: In Mineola (LI) Amy Fisher is sentenced to 5 to 15 years for the shooting and serious wounding of Mary Jo Buttafuoco. The 'Long Island Lolita' was having an affair with Mary Jo's husband Joey. Amy is now out and frankly we don't care where Joey is...

1997] No choke: Golden State's Latrell Sprewell chokes in practice...chokes his coach (P.J. Carlesimo) that is. He's suspended for one year and the remainder of his 4-year, $23 million contract was terminated. Sprewell's career ended in 2004. Carlesimo is still coaching...

1997] The name game: Westinghouse formally changes its name to CBS...For more on December 1st: C L I C K:

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

1582] Wedding Bells: Young Will Shakespeare having already asked Anne Hathaway, "wouldst thou taketh thine hand in holy matrimony" and gotten a "yea, merrily", walks down the aisle with Anne as Bard and Bardess tie the knot poetically (11/28)...1940] Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz conga down the aisle to a latin beat (11/30)...1960] Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee become America's favorite married couple when they swing down the aisle (12/1). Sadly they will divorce in 1967...1982] Miles Davis and Cecily Tyson tie the knot in an on again/off again marriage until Davis' death (11/26)...1993] Another odd couple work their way down the aisle as James Carville and Mary Matalin marry (11/26)...

1789] 1st Thanksgiving: A day of Thanksgiving is set aside by President George Washington to observe the adoption of the U.S. Constitution (11/26)...

1910] A New York original: The original Pennsylvania Station opens to the public, where the 8th Avenue Post Office is now located. One day that location may house a new Penn Station (11/27)...

1925] Debuted on this date: The longest running live music show debuts on WSM Nashville when host George Dewey Hay invites an 83-year old Civil War veteran to play fiddle for an hour. The 'WSM Barn Dance' begins (11/28). In 1927 its name is changed to the "Grand Ole Opry". Willie Nelson will make his debut 39 years to the date that the 'Barn Dance' debuted (1964)...1939] New York's LaGuardia Airport begins operations as a plane from Chicago lands at 12:01 a.m. (11/30)...1942] "Casablanca" starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman debuts at the Hollywood Theater in Manhattan (11/26)...1948] "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" debuts on NBC-TV (11/29)...

1934] A Thanksgiving Day tradition begins: The Detroit Lions begin an annual NFL tradition, dropping a 19-16 decision to da Bearsss. It was the first NFL game aired on national radio. Brent Mus-sorry, Graham McNamee did the play-by-play (11/29). A Lions win over Tennessee would be Detroit's first win this season...

1942] Down in flames: A devastating and deadly fire destroys the Cocoanut Grove night club in Boston, taking nearly 500 lives (11/28)...

1948] Get the picture?: The first Polaroid camera is sold (11/28). Today that camera would be worth a fortune...

1978] City Hall massacre: San Francisco mayor George Moscone and City Hall Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist, are shot to death inside City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White (11/27). Sean Penn plays Milk ina soon-to-be released movie of the event...

1981] "Happy Trails": Natalie Wood drowns in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island at the age of 43. Natalie who was with husband R.J. (Wagner) and Christopher Walken, could not swim (11/29)...1986] Leading man Cary Grant dies of a stroke at 82 (11/29)...1994] 1960s war protester Jerry Rubin dies two weeks after being hit by a car. Rubin was 56 (11/28)...1996] After performing on stage, Tiny Tim collapses and dies from congestive heart failure at 71 (11/30)...2001] Beatle George Harrison loses his battle with cancer at 58 (11/29)...2007] Washington Redskins free safety Sean Taylor, 24, is murdered in his Miami home (11/27)...2007] Daredevil motorcycle rider Evel Knievel passes away from a terminal lung disease at 69 (11/30)...

2003] A presidential turkey delivery: George Bush plays commander-in-chief and brings Thanksgiving turkey to our troops in a clandestine trip to Iraq (11/27)...For more on November 26 -30th: C L I C K:

1947] Hollywood 10: Movie studio executives meeting in New York agree to blacklist the "Hollywood 10" who were cited a day earlier and jailed for contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee...

1963] Laid to rest: The body of President John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery...

1980] No mas, no mas: Sugar Ray Leonard defeats Roberto Duran for the welterweight crown after Duran pleads "no mas, no mas" in the 8th round, ending the fight...

1986] An affair to remember: The Iran-Contra affair erupts as President Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese reveal that profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to Nicaraguan rebels...

1999] Elian gets his 15 minutes: 6-year old Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez is rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida. The saga of Elian begins...

2002] Colors of the rainbow follow: President Bush signs legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security and appoints Tom Ridge to be its head...

2003] Guilty as charged: Yemen arrests Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal, a top al-Qaida member suspected of masterminding the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole. Al-Ahdal is later convicted and sentenced to 37 months in prison. Who was the judge, Lance Ito??? For more on November 25th: C L I C K:

Friday, November 21, 2008

1877] Talking Machine: Thomas A. Edison announces the invention of the phonograph or as he calls it, his "talking machine." (11/21)...

1889] Jukebox Saturday Night every night: The first jukebox goes into service at the Palais Royal Saloon in San Francisco. Owned by developer Louis T. Glass, the box contains an Edison tinfoil phonograph with 4 listening tubes. A nickel bought a few minutes of music. The jukebox took in a whopping $1,000 in 6 months (11/23)...

1963] A day we'd all like to forget but never will: John Fitzgerald Kennedy is gunned down in Dallas. A day we always remember what we were doing at the time. I was recording a Canada Dry spot at WMID, Atlantic City. LBJ is sworn in as our next president (11/22)...

1980] Up in flames: A fire at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas kills 87 (11/21)...

1982] Wedding Bells: Joni Mitchell marries her bass player Larry Klein and then paves paradise on her honeymoon (11/21)...1983] New York Rangers star Ron Greschner checks model Carol Alt into the matrimony boards. Greschner goes to the penalty box in 1996 (11/21)...1987] Demi Moore and Bruce Willis rock down the aisle. They divorce in 2000 when Demi discovers where Ashton Kutcher lives. She robs his cradle in 2005 (11/21)...

1984] Hail Mary: Doug Flutie connects with roomie Gerard Phelan and Boston College defeats Miami 47-45 in one of the greatest college football games of all-time (11/23) Bernie Kosar was the Miami QB...

2006] Spy snuffing: Former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko dies in London from radiation poisoning after making a deathbed statement blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin (11/23)...For more on November 21 -23: C L I C K:

Thursday, November 20, 2008

1928] Debuted on this date: The Boston Bruins lose to Montreal 1-0 as the Boston Garden makes its debut...

1947] Wedding Bells: Britain's future queen, Princess Elizabeth marries Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh in Westminster Abbey. Celebrating their 61st anniversary, the Duke in addition to being known as the current queen's husband is officially known as her "consort" or as the Duke puts it, "I felt like I'd been turned into an amoeba."...

1960] Knocked into Monday: Frank Gifford is leveled by the Eagles Chuck Bednarik in a blind-sided hit that will wind up ending the career of the Giants star running back. The Eagles clinch the Eastern Conference title. As a reward Gifford will wind up with Kathie Lee...

1982] Adding insult to injury: In the most bizarre ending of any football game, California beats Stanford 25-20 on a 5-lateral, 55-yard kickoff return that goes into the Cardinal band, standing in the end zone...

1983] The night of "The Day After": An estimated 100 million viewers watch the controversial ABC-TV movie, "The Day After" depicting a nuclear holocaust...

1985] A Geneva treat: Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev meet for the first time as they begin their summit in Geneva...

1998] A Starr is born: Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr lays out his evidence against President Bill Clinton during a daylong appearance before the House Judiciary Committee...

2001] MVP...MVP...MVP...MVP: Barry Bonds wins his 4th MVP award (he'll win 3 more). Wasn't this the year they said Bonds started using the 'clear cream'???

2004] Fight Night: In one of sports ugliest days, after a fight breaks out on the floor, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson of the Pacers charge into the stands and fight with fans during an NBA game in Detroit. Officials end the Pacers' 97-82 win with 45.9 ticks left. Fines and suspensions follow. Fan John Green who tossed his drink at Artest, was banned for life in Detroit and hefty fines are levied at Artest, Jackson and others...For more on November 19th: C L I C K:

1978] The horror of Jonestown: People's Temple leader Jim Jones forces his followers to commit mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana by drinking a cyanide-laced fruit-flavored concoction. Only about a dozen escape. The final death toll: 913, including 276 children. Jones is fatally shot in the head...

1987] Pink slips are on the way: CBS Inc. agrees to sell its record division to SONY Corporation for about $2 billion...

1990] Wedding Bells: Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall tie the knot in Bali. They will have 2 children during their 9 year marriage which breaks up after allegations that Mick fathered a child with Brazilian model Luciana Morad. 2006] Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are married in Italy...

1999] Guilty as charged: A jury in Jasper (TX) convicts Shawn Allen Berry of murder for his role in the dragging death of James Byrd Jr., but spare him the death penalty...

2002] A new call for arms inspection: U.N. arms inspectors return to Iraq after a four-year hiatus. They call on Saddam Hussein's government to cooperate with their search for weapons of mass destruction. You know the rest of this story...

2003] Right to marry: The Massachusetts Supreme Court Judicial Court rules 4-3 that the state constitution guarantees gay couples the right to marry...For more on November 18th: C L I C K:

Monday, November 17, 2008

1956] A Hollywood ending: Jim Brown finishes his college career at Syracuse by running for 6 touchdowns and kicking 7 extra points in a 61-7 massacre of Colgate...

1968] Heidi Ho: NBC-TV switches from an exciting Jets-Oakland game to "Heidi". Here's what we didn't see: The Raiders score 2 TD's in 9 seconds to hold on to a 43-32 win over the Jets. The final score is shown in a crawl over, what else ? "Heidi"...

1973] I'm not a crook: President Richard Nixon tells an AP managing editors meeting in Orlando (FL) that "people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook." In front of a news organization's meeting ? Nice timing Mr. President...

1985] Debuted on this date: Howard Stern on K-Rock (WXRK)...

1997] The Joe Gibbs Academy: To graduate, you get elected to the Hall of Fame and then come back. NHL great Mario Lemieux gets inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame and then returns to play and eventually get into ownership of the Pittsburgh Penguins...

2003] Guilty as charged: John Allen Muhammad is convicted of two counts of capital murder in the Washington (D.C.)-area sniper shootings. He is awaiting execution in Virginia...

2003] This I swear: Action actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is sworn in as the 38th Governor of California. Just call him 'The Governator'...

2006] Kramer goes off: Former 'Seinfeld' star Michael Richards unleashes a barrage of racial slurs during a stand-up routine at the Laugh Factory...

2006] 'Happy Trails': Hall of Fame college football coach Bo Schembechler dies at 77...For more on November 17th: CLICK:

Friday, November 14, 2008

1889] Whoa Nellie: New York World reporter Nellie Bly a.k.a. Elizabeth Cochrane begins an attempt to surpass the fictitious journey of Jules Verne's Phineas Fogg by traveling around the world in less than 80 days. Bly does it in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes in January and records a new song called "Around the World in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes" (11/14)...

1926] Debuted on this date: The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) debuts with a radio network of 24 stations. The first network boadcast is a 4-hour special featuring live big band music from the Waldorf Astoria (11/15)...

1959] The birth of The Pats: William "Billy" Sullivan Jr. and a group of Boston businessmen is awarded the 8th and final franchise in the American Football League (AFL). The Boston Patriots are born (11/16)...

1960] "Happy Trails": Clark Gable dies of a heart attack at 59 (11/16)...1961] House speaker Sam Rayburn is the victim of cancer at 79 (11/16)...

1967] MVP x 3: The Red Sox' Carl Yastrzemski wins the AL MVP in the best individual season performance by a player I've ever seen - this includes watching Mantle & Maris in New York. Yaz wins the Triple Crown (batting average, home runs & runs batted in) title. No one has done it since (11/15)...

1972] Wedding Bells: Britain's Princess Anne marries commoner Capt. Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey (11/14). They divorce in 1992 and the Princess will re-marry...1981] Luke marries Laura on "General Hospital" before a TV audience of 16 million viewers (11/16)...1987] Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet rock down the aisle (11/16). They separate in 1990 and divorce in 1993...1996] Michael Jackson and mother-for-hire Deborah Rowe make it official (11/14)...1998] Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman marry but there's some debate over who wore the bridal gown (11/14). The marriage ends in 9 days. So what took so long???

1986] It's a family affair: The Doubleday Publishing Company agrees to sell the Mets to Nelson Doubleday & Fred Wilpon for $80.7 million (11/14). The publishing company bought the team for a then-record $21.1 million in 1980. Citibank bought the naming rights for Citi Field, which opens in 2009 for $20 million a year for 20 years...

1993] Guilty as charged: A judge in Mineola (LI) sentences Joey Buttafuocco to 6 months in jail for the statutory rape of Amy Fisher who shot and wounded Joey's wife Mary Jo (11/15)...

Thursday, November 13, 2008

1789] Death and Taxes: Benjamin Franklin writes in a letter to a friend, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes"...

1942] 18 with a bullet: The minimum draft age is lowered from 21 to 18...

1960] Wedding Bells: Sammy Davis Jr. and Swedish actress May Britt walk down the aisle. The pair will stay in wedded bliss for 8 years...

1968] Premiered on this date: "Yellow Submarine", the animated movie...1997] The Disney musical "The Lion King" opens on Broadway...

1974] "Happy Trails": Karen Silkwood, 28, a technician and union activist from Oklahoma who inspired a movie of her life, is killed in a suspicious car crash...

1979] Vote for the "Gipper": Former California Governor Ronald Reagan announces his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination while visiting New York...

1979] 'Chocolate Thunder': 76er Darryl Dawkins shatters a fiberglass backboard doing a monster dunk in Kansas City and starts a new fad that provides ESPN with about a million 'Sports Update' show opens...

1993] Top of the charts: Top-ranked Florida State and #2 Notre Dame (both 9-0) stage a showdown in South Bend with the 'Fighting Irish' prevailing 31-24. The Irish go to number one but lose the following weekend to Boston College and Florida State will win the national championship with a victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl...

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

1920] Here come de judge: Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis is elected baseball's first commissioner which brings a smile to Shorty Long's face wherever he is...

1931] A 'Nessie' sighting: The first known photo of the 'Loch Ness Monster' is taken...

1940] Premiered on this date: "Fantasia", not the singer, the Walt Disney masterpiece...

1948] Guilty as charged: Former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and several other WWII Japanese leaders are sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal...1996] Jonathan Schmitz, 26, is convicted of second-degree murder for shooting Scott Amedure, a gay man who'd revealed a crush on Schmitz on a "Jenny Jones" TV show. Schmitz is serving a 20-25 year prison term...1997] Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Yousef is serving a sentence of life without parole...2004] Scott Peterson is sentenced to death for murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and dumping her body in San Francisco Bay. Peterson remains on death row...

1954] Closed for renovations: Ellis Island closes after processing more than 20 million immigrants since opening in New York Harbor in 1892...

1987] AIDS ban banned: The AMA issues a policy statement saying it was unethical for a doctor to refuse to treat someone solely because that person has AIDS or is HIV-positive...

1993] "Happy Trails": H.R. Haldeman, a former Nixon White House chief of staff, dies of undisclosed causes at 67...

About Me

Mel Phillips Now & Then is more Now. The Then always follows the Now. Prior to starting 'Remembers' in 2005 and 'Now & Then' on April 7, 2008 I enjoyed a multi-media career which included being one of the Bill Drake program directors. I was involved in the programming of such legendary stations as WOR-FM, WXLO-FM, WNBC, WRKO AM & FM and KQV. I was also General Manager of Hooper Radio, played disc jockey in markets such as Tampa, Nashville, Norfolk and Atlantic City and enjoyed marketing success in syndicated radio for several companies including ABC, MJI and United Stations. My background also includes the music business where I promoted such diverse CBS acts as The Clash, Gloria Estefan, Loverboy, Judas Priest, George Michael & Julio Iglesias. In Special Programming at WCBS-FM I wrote and produced numerous specials and interviewed some of the biggest recording stars. In addition to this post I'm a regular contributor to Radio Daily News. My wife Diane and I reside on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and I'm very proud of my children, Robert Phillips, Lynn Phillips Brough and granddaughters Allyson and Amy...